Chapter 133: I didn’t mean to but

“When I entered the ballroom?”

I tilted my head slightly at the Pia’s question.

“Well, it was dazzling. The high ceiling was covered in brilliant lights, and silver-threaded curtains draped the walls. The floor was covered with a finely patterned carpet, and the entire hall… was like a painting.”

I leaned slightly closer to the microphone.

“It was hard to believe there was a war going on. Everyone there seemed to want to forget, for a moment, that demons were encroaching on the edges of the world.”

• It must be similar to how I feel watching Leah’s stream instead of writing my thesis…

• What thesis, it’s summer break??

• I’m a graduate student…

• Oh… oh…

• Is a s*ave allowed to watch Vtuber streams?

“It was definitely awkward. I grew up in the forest. That place was the complete opposite of that world. Everything was crafted by human hands. Even the light and air felt artificial.”

An ill-fitting dress and an unfamiliar space.

“But… strangely, even in such a space, people didn’t approach me. There were many glances. Really, many. But… no one spoke to me.”

• Why…

• Those humans, they invited her and then ignored her? ㅜ

• It’s been a while since we’ve seen humans instead of half-elves…

• Maybe because she seemed too strong? lol

• Leah does have a strong presence

• Here, she’s top 5 in the Alliance, so she’s genuinely strong…

I chuckled lightly. And then continued in a quiet tone.

“It was courtesy, caution… and perhaps even fear. After all, I was a different being to them, and also a hero who roamed the battlefields. That’s all I thought at the time.”

Still, I maintained my composure, standing tall and straight.

“Once the banquet officially began… some people did talk to me. Mostly high-ranking nobles of Toarel. Political greetings, well wishes. And… ceremonial talk about hoping for continued cooperation in the future.”

I trailed off slightly.

“Then… the music in the ballroom slowed down a bit, and when the atmosphere for dancing began, that person approached.”

• That person?

• Wait, is this going where I think it is…

“It was the second prince of Toarel. He placed a glass of wine he’d brought on a nearby table and bowed his head from a close distance.”

He spoke slowly in a smooth, low voice, as if reciting lines on a stage. His words were laced with a practiced smile and pauses that considered even the other person’s breathing.

“Great hero. Toarel believed that today, the starlight of the forest would illuminate this place. If your dazzling steps grace the melody of this night, this banquet will be complete. Would you grant me the honor of your company?”

• Guwaaaaaah

• Did he just ask Leah to dance??

• That’s cheesy…

• Reject him, reject him, reject him

• I feel down…

• She obviously rejected him, right?

“I couldn’t refuse. It wasn’t a matter of my personal feelings. If I refused to dance there… it could have been interpreted as ‘the elves refusing diplomatic solidarity.’”

• Don’t do that…

• Does she have to dance with a strange man?

• I miss the atmosphere from before when no one talked to her…

• Just 3cm, please just 3cm

• Would Leah even include such vulgar details in her setting lol

• At least tell us he was ugly…

“The prince of Toarel? He wasn’t ugly. How should I put it… He looked like a pretty boy?”

• Pretty boy = handsome

• I’m dying

• Jealous, jealous

• Bring the rope, bring the rope, bring the rope

• Sayonara… sayonara… sayonara…

• Why are you doing this to us… Leah?

• Why is everyone freaking out over a fictional alpha lol

• The Pia have become masters of immersion like Leah lol

『NorthernIrelandUnicorn donated 10,000 Jellies!』
『Noooooooooooo!』

• Senior…

• A sorrowful death rattle…

Responding to my Pia’s reactions, I quickly continued.

“So… I took his hand. The first few steps were formal. The movements, the steps… they were within the framework of an official dance. But then, at some point, the music slowed down a bit more, and he gently pulled me closer by my waist.”

• Kyaaaaaaaaaaa

• Not the hand, but the waist? The waist??

“I didn’t think it was terribly rude. From his perspective… it was probably just a normal progression. A dance at a ball is about taking steps naturally while maintaining an appropriate distance.”

However, already feeling uncomfortable in the dress, I definitely tensed up at that moment.

“For me… it wasn’t that simple. For someone who fights with a bow on the battlefield, the moment you give up distance is the moment you give up your life. Shoulders, arms, chest… the moment any part of me is entrusted to another’s movement, my body knows it’s the end. So it wasn’t that strange that a spirit reacted.”

The entire hall fell silent.

The music continued to play, but something… an invisible ‘cold line’ quietly spread out from me.

Beneath the hem of my light blue dress, the texture of the air changed.
A damp chill pressed against my skin like underwater pressure.

It wasn’t just a feeling.

The flow of space itself had changed.

A white wolf. A high-ranking water spirit.

Its form resembled a giant white wolf, but its body shimmered with the texture of intersecting waves and mist.

No one in the hall could see it.

But I knew.

That this being had been summoned in response to my emotions.

The wolf silently emerged from behind me.

Only the second prince could sense its presence.

A cold breath touched the nape of his neck.
As if from somewhere, a large gust of air slowly, silently grazed his skin.

Eyes, shining without pupils, stared at him. It was a gaze reserved only for those considered prey.

The prince tightly closed his lips, trying to continue the steps formally, but…

His toes trembled, his gaze wavered. Cold sweat trickled down his temples, and his heart began to lose its rhythm.

When the song ended.
He silently released my hand, holding his breath. He bowed his head very briefly, and without a word, turned and disappeared towards the opposite exit of the hall.

At that moment.

The wolf slowly turned its head and looked at me.
It wagged its tail as if asking, ‘Did I do well?’

I quietly nodded.
Then the wolf melted away into the faint water mist.

“So, I felt a little… sorry.”

I chuckled lightly.

“Actually, it wasn’t his fault.”

• Who cares lol

• Kyaa, this is it

• I trusted you, Great Leah!!

• Refreshing, good

• One song was enough, what more do you want lol

• Good timing, doggy lol

“The atmosphere in the hall soon lightened again, and a few other people… asked me to dance. But I politely declined. I thought one song was enough.”

And only now, those gazes felt a little different. Back then, I thought everyone saw me as a hero of a different race, an unapproachable being –

But thinking back, there were some other emotions mixed in.

Desire.

It was definitely a different temperature from respect.

I truly didn’t know back then.

I was 17, it was my first time wearing a dress, and even there, I was so focused on my role as a hero that the front lines were on my mind.

The excessive caution of some people approaching me.
The distance… that I mistook for awe.
It must have been because of that.

I’m not usually oblivious.
That day too, I definitely felt the subtle changes.

It’s just that I never questioned what they meant.

Now I understand.

Even in that world, such gazes… definitely existed.

I had just spoken as things came to mind today.

The feeling of discovering a new truth I hadn’t known, it was a bit strange.

But this probably wasn’t something to ramble about to my Pia.

To avoid a prolonged silence, I quickly wrapped up the story. Perhaps that’s why slightly shameless words came out.

“It’s just… I was too beautiful. Everyone wanted to approach me, but they were hesitant because the prince hadn’t made the first move. Once I danced one song, I received quite a few requests.”

• ?????

• What’s with the self-praise…?

• Surprise flex

• Once the prince was cut off, that’s the end, are the Pia begging you to continue??

• Just go dance somewhere else

• Hmm… isn’t she a bit narcissistic…

• There’s no way to verify, so how would the Pia know

“Sorry. That was a bit arrogant, wasn’t it?”

I shrugged slightly and chuckled quietly.

“That ball… was a very unfamiliar place for me. The dress, the lights, the gazes. But… I think that dress suited me quite well.”

I carefully recalled the memory.

“Of course, I’ve grown about four years older since then… but if I were to wear that dress again… I wonder how it would feel now.”

• New costume foreshadowing??

• Leah is gorgeous…

• Her avatar is well-made

• Be thankful to Mama, Leah

• New costume? Okay as long as it’s revealing

• She said the hem trailed on the floor… I’m against it

• Someone just whip up a fan art and let’s have a different new costume lol

“Should I tell you more about the ball? Or a different story?”

After that, I shared various stories for a while before ending the stream.

The next day.

I received a call from Sera.

It was my first official promotional model offer.